(feels like) home to me
by maeyourskiesbeblue
Summary: They were all quick to find their favorite little nooks around the cozy little house. A quiet little corner that unspokenly became theirs. Killian's, surprisingly enough, was the bathroom. (inspired by Christina Perri's music video for 'The Words')


I blame Christina Perri for this one.

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She moved in to her new place in October. It was amongst one of the many real estate ads Henry had thrust under her nose one morning at breakfast. But this one ad in particular not only had looping circles in red marker around it, but also three large stars scribbled beside it.

"This is the one," Henry said with so much conviction she couldn't help but check it out.

And he was right.

They found the little sea side cottage tucked away in a quiet corner of Storybrooke. Trees flanked the long driveway, giving it the illusion of privacy (a bonus when you live in a town where everyone knows everyone's business). They turned a bend and the skyline opened up to a stunning view of the sea. A large grassy lawn lead up to the cottage nestled in along the shoreline.

This place was for her and Henry. A place for them to call home, something they hadn't really had _together_, not with just the two of them. (New York didn't really count because it was never actually _real_.)

Henry turned to her from the passenger seat. A grin lit up his face in a way that reminded her so much of the little boy that turned upon her doorstep all those years ago, and not the young man he quickly grew into. "Wow," he said. "Killian is going to _love _this place." Maybe Henry's easy inclusion of Killian made her stomach do an anxious little flip.

But she'd never admit that was her first thought too.

They moved into the cottage in October.

Killian moved in with them in December. Well… _officially_.

Emma was almost surprised at how well they all seemed to fit together, the three of them. Emma and her boys. And they were all quick to find their favorite little nooks around the cozy little house. A quiet little corner that unspokenly became _theirs_.

Henry loved his new room, loved the space that he could now call his own, with the handmade desk from Marco and the overstuffed beanbag chair where he can read and play video games. It truly was a teenage boy's oasis that he loved to show off to his friends.

Emma had fallen in love with the bench seat in the living room. It's tucked up against the large bay window that overlooks the water. And it'd become Emma's favorite spot to curl up with the large afghan Granny made for her as a housewarming gift and a steaming cup of cocoa. She could sit there for hours, watching the sun move across the sky, breathing in salty sea air that comes in through the windows. But she especially liked it when Killian joined her. He'd curl around her, let her use his chest as a pillow as she stole the warmth from his body and quietly watched the ships come in and out of shore.

For a short time Emma had worried about including Killian into this new life she was building in Storybrooke, here with her son and the rest of her family. She wanted to assure him that his home was now with them. But she found she needn't have worried. His comfort became clear when she'd find him tucked away in a quiet corner with a book. Or sprawled across the couch in slumber, arm thrown over his eyes with a blanket tucked under his chin.

But she discovered Killian had also come to love their bathroom, of all places. Not that she could really blame him. It was one of the things Emma loved most about the place too.

The ensuite master bathroom wasn't overly fancy, but rather soft and classic, much like the rest of the house. It was spacious enough for two people to go about their morning routine without bumping into one another. Decorated with a rustic double vanity with plenty of storage space and a tiny little window that faced the water front.

But the tub. That _tub _was what made it something really special. It was a gorgeous, old clawfoot tub that made Emma want to curl up in it with some lavender bubble bath and a glass of wine the moment she laid eyes on it.

As the brisk winter winds swept through town, Emma loved to come home after a long day at work and let her mind and body unwind in the warm water.

And apparently, so did Killian.

More often than not, Emma would come home from work to find Killian in their bathroom, up to his chest in water as swirls of steam curled up off the surface of the piping hot water. He would lay there, arms resting atop the curved edge of the tub, head laid back with his eyes closed, dark lashes fanning out against his cheeks flushed from the heat of the water. When he'd hear her booted feet approaching the door of their bathroom, he'd roll his head to the side, peering up at her with half lidded eyes and a sleepy, relaxed smile. With a voice like crushed velvet he'd urge her to join him.

On the nights when Henry was with Regina, she actually does, unable to deny him when his body was on full display, tanned skin begging to be touched.

One night, while they lay together in the tub, her back pressed to his front, his long lean legs curled over hers, she had asked him why she always seemed to find him in the bath.

He had told her with a quiet fascination to his voice about how he enjoyed the convenience of having such easy access to warm water. He told her of the long tedious process it would take to fill a tub barely half the size of their own during his days on the Jolly Roger. And how the water would almost always lose most of it's warmth by the time it made it to the basin. He told her of the bath houses he used to visit back in his world and how they never ceased to ease the tension from his shoulders and darkness from his mind.

"It's a wondrous innovation that your world seems to take for granted," Killian murmured with his chin resting upon her shoulder.

Her heart stuttered a little as he reminded her of how different their worlds were. And yet, his transition into this world often appeared so seamless that Emma would sometimes forget they didn't share some of the same experiences. That Killian was still learning about this world with keen eyes and a sometimes child-like fascination. She couldn't help but it find it so immensely endearing.

That was until she got that first water bill.

"Three _hundred _dollars, Killian!" she exclaimed, angrily waving the piece of paper in his face. And it showed a drastic spike in water usage the month he happened to move in. "How can the water bill be_ three hundred dollars_? It should be sixty at _most_! How many baths do you take!?"

She watched as a flush spread across his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears. "You have to _pay _for the water? That's bloody ridiculous," Killian said with faint outrage. But when he saw the scowl still in place on Emma's face, he scratched nervously behind his ear, looking truly abashed. "Apologies, Swan. I wasn't aware…"

And the anger seemed to drain out of her while his blue eyes shined apologetically. She sighed and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing a kiss into the hollow of his throat. She could still feel the tension in his body, but he didn't pass up the opportunity to envelope her in an embrace. "It's okay," she whispered. "Just… maybe cut back to one or two baths a day. Okay?" She gave him a teasing smirk to show that he was forgiven.

His smile was shy. "Aye," he said with a nod.

The next morning she went to leave to start her day to find that Killian had already left. She found a short note in his beautiful calligraphy bidding her a good day. The note was lying on the counter in the exact place the water bill _should have_ been.

Emma stopped at the Water Company on her way to the station, grumbling under her breath about ridiculous bath-loving pirates the entire way. She went to pay the bill, but discovered that not only had Killian already pay the astronomical bill, but paid enough to cover the next _five _water bills. In _doubloons_. The adorable, idiotic pirate.

When she arrived home that evening, she wasn't even surprised to find him in the tub with a smug grin on his face and invitation to join him.

She heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes as she stripped off her jacket and stepped into the bathroom.

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Reviews are always ALWAYS appreciated.


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